I recently purchased a used 04 plate Megane (the now old shape); mainly becasue of the vast array of features present compared to cars of a similar age and size. With the promises of air con, trip computer, heated screens, 'follow me home' headlights and other such features, this seemed like to good an opportunity to miss.

However, this plethora of electronics has lived up to the reputation of French electronic reliability. For example: electric window faliures (apparently a common problen; and despite the lack of a recall Renault pay 75% to repair them, equating to around £50 a time), keycard issues (this age Megane doesn't have an actual key as such), and starting issues related to a faulty wiring connection from the start button.

Despite these issues, they have been more of a practical inconvinence than a financial one - the car is actually quite cheap to run. In contrast to my previous, smaller engined car (1.2 Corsa), I spend around £10 less a month on petrol (I cover around 1,000 miles).

This car is, in fact, a delight to drive. It is basically glued onto the road, and despite being a 1.4, is still quite responsive to the throttle. In summary, a nice, cheap drive, with a bunch of unreliable flashy buttons and gadgets.